WOODSTOCK, Md. — This summer, black bears have been appearing across social media in posts from downtown Frederick to Elkridge, Ellicott City and Woodstock.
But it’s not necessarily unusual to see more this time of year in central Maryland, according to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
Spring into summer is when juvenile bears search for new territory. It is also breeding season.
Maryland DNR reports 20 sightings of black bears in central Maryland this summer so far
The agency tells WMAR-2 News there have been 20 sightings reported in the region since May. Six in Howard County are believed to involve the same bear, a young male.
"He likely dispersed at some point and he was in search of females, and then he realized, hey, there's a lot of great food over here. This is pretty great," Justin Trudeau said.
Trudeau is the game mammal section leader with DNR, or for the purposes of this article, a bear expert. The population has increased in the area over recent years.
"We're seeing more bears in the central region because our black bear population here in Maryland and the black bear population in the surrounding states is increasing," Trudeau said.
Blanca Sanders saw a bear on her security camera in June, knocking over her trash can outside her Waverly Woods home and making off with a full bag.
“I was extremely shocked. I couldn't believe it," Sanders said. "I've been telling everybody: Be careful. I even just told a mom the other day. I said they've just seen one in Ellicott City somewhere and on the patio, be careful!" Sanders said.
RELATED: Black bear spotted roaming the streets of downtown Frederick over the weekend
Because bears are territorial, their population will continue to expand into new areas, and possibly into places people aren’t used to seeing them.
Trudeau encourages residents who are aware of a bear in the area to secure their trash by keeping it inside or locked, and to take down bird feeders. In Western Maryland, trash collectors have made adjustments due to food-motivated bears.
“Even something as simple as keeping your grill clean, keeping your pet food inside," Trudeau said. “Anything like that can have a big impact on basically mitigating the chances of a bear coming into your area.”
If one is spotted, making loud noises is the best way to encourage it to leave, like with pots and pans. Though Trudeau recommends doing so from inside the home.
Residents can report sightings to local animal control or Maryland DNR.
If there is an immediate emergency, you can call this Maryland DNR hotline: 1-410-260-8888
If you’d like to learn more about black bears you can check out bearwise.org, a partner of Maryland DNR.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
